Where You Belong
by The AO Monster
Summary: "For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are those 'It might have been."- John Greenleaf Whittier. Alex returns to New York, her heart filled with love for her detective, but gets more than she bargained for. abbierena/eliminatetheshadows collab
1. Chapter 1

Alex woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring a song she was all-too-familiar with, a song she had managed to avoid for the past two years. There was nothing special about the beat or even the lyrics of the song. In fact, it wasn't even a particularly good song, but it was special to Alex because it played during a significant moment in her life: the first and only time she kissed Olivia Benson. The kiss she shared with Olivia wasn't what most people would consider romantic. It was quick, unexpected, and neither woman knew what to make of it after it happened.

_Alex and Olivia had met for drinks at a restaurant near Alex's apartment after a rather trying day. Alex had suggested going to a bar, but Olivia told her that she wasn't exactly in the mood to be around rowdy people. The rowdiest patrons at the restaurant that night happened to be Alex and Olivia. With just three drinks in their system, the two women were becoming loud and extremely talkative. Neither of them were the type to drink themselves into a stupor, but they both felt the need to unwind. It might have been the alcohol in their systems that caused the two of them to start telling each other stories about their younger years instead of talking about work like they usually did. It wasn't long before Alex knew all about Olivia's experiences in the academy and Olivia knew all about Alex's late-nights in law school. Their conversation lasted a couple of hours, but it felt like minutes to Alex. There was never any lull and the two of them hung on to every word that the other was saying. _

_Both Alex and Olivia had offered to pay for the full tab and, after ten minutes of the two of them insisting that they would cover it, they finally decided to split everything evenly to avoid an argument. Because Alex lived a couple of blocks away, Olivia offered to walk her home. Alex's nervousness made for an awkward walk home and she hoped Olivia didn't think she was uninterested in making conversation with her, but no one (and Alex really did mean no one) had ever made her feel so nervous. She'd always affected her this way, since the day they met and it hadn't taken much more than a smile to make Alex fall for the stoic detective. Olivia began making small talk about things they observed along the way to Alex's apartment and Alex tried to pay attention to what she was saying, but all she could focus on was Olivia's smile and how she had said more to her that evening than she had in the past two years they had worked together. Olivia hardly ever opened up to people, so Alex began wondering why Olivia was willing to spend so much time with her that night. That must mean she was special, or at least she hoped she was special to Olivia. She felt something for Olivia that she hadn't felt since she had her first girlfriend in college and even then, it had never been this strong. She hoped that Olivia was feeling it, too. Although she wouldn't let it show, Alex felt absolutely giddy inside until she told herself that Olivia was probably interested in being friends and nothing more. Still, she had to find out._

_As they approached her building, Alex let go of her inhibitions and gently kissed Olivia on the lips. Their kiss lasted less than five seconds, but that was long enough for Alex to learn what Olivia's lips tasted like, how they seemed to fit so perfectly with her own, and that these were the last set of lips she ever wanted to kiss._

"_Goodnight," Olivia said, her lips still just centimeters away from Alex's._

"_Goodnight," Alex told her. She was about to kiss her again when a teenage girl drove by blasting an R&B song. It was a song most people considered "baby-making" music and Alex worried that hearing that song would cheapen the memory of her first kiss with Olivia, the first kiss of what she had hoped would be many._

_Once Olivia had left and Alex was safely inside her apartment, she couldn't believe that she had actually had the nerve to kiss Olivia. They worked together and this could end disastrously, but Alex wasn't sure she cared to think about that. Most importantly, she couldn't believe Olivia had enjoyed the kiss as much as she had. Without caring if she was getting ahead of herself, Alex began planning how she was going to ask Olivia on a date and where she would take her if Olivia actually said yes. What Alex didn't know was that in a very short time, her life was about to drastically change, things would never be the same, and it would be years before she'd even be in the same state as Olivia again._

Alex was good with words. It was how she made a living. But these past few years had changed everything. She'd been ripped away from the woman she was sure she loved, but perhaps even more important, Alex had been ripped away from life as she knew it and thrust into a place where she had no friends, no family, no life whatsoever. The only things that kept her going were the thought of her family and the thought of Olivia.

She was a step closer to having a part of her life back—she lived in a condo similar to the one she left behind and she had a meeting with Arthur Branch later that day about a position in the DA's office. Practicing law was her passion and, honestly, who was Alex Cabot if she wasn't an attorney?

In the condo that overlooked Central Park, Alex stepped out of the luxurious shower and wrapped her towel around her. The place seemed so empty, the tall ceilings made it hollow, but there was no love in it either. There was just Alex, alone. Her family rarely visited and she always preferred to go to them anyway. As she dressed herself in a black dress, accentuated by a navy blue belt and matching cardigan, Alex thought she was looking more and more like herself every day—a far cry from Emily Davis of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

XXX

The click of heels. Olivia ears perked up to the click of heels and always would. But this stride was not like Casey Novak's. It was too even, the clicks came too far apart. This was coming from someone with long legs and wide stride. In the quiet of the courthouse, Olivia could recognize the familiar noise and felt the chill up that cascaded down her spine.

"Alex?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Olivia."

It wasn't a question. Alex knew whose big almond eyes she was staring into, eyes that had both tormented and comforted her years.

"Alex, what are you doing here? When did you…how…"

"I got back a month ago. I couldn't…It was too hard to tell you that I was back and…"

"That is not fair, Alex. How do you…we kissed and exactly two days later, I held you in my arms as you died. And you…you can't pick up the fucking phone!" A simple warrant. That's why she was here, but of course, Olivia's life could never be that simple.

Yes, Alex expected disappointment. She even expected an outburst. But what she didn't expect to see was the anger in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Truth is, I don't have an excuse." Alex paused, "You scare me, Olivia. You…the kiss was, it was everything I never even knew I wanted and…I feel things when I think about you; things I never wanted to feel again. So, yeah, you scare me."

Alex would have to be blind to notice this golden colored haze that seemed to radiate off the detective. Alex wondered had she always glowed like this or is this what happens when you haven't seen the love of your life in years?

"I…Alex, I need time to…" Olivia's stomach lurched suddenly, "Fuck…I'm gonna vomit…"

Olivia ducked into a nearby restroom, with Alex following closely behind. Alex tried to follow her into the stall as well, only to have the door of the stall slammed in her face. Moments later, the toilet was flushed and the door opened.

"It never fucking stops…" Olivia groaned.

"Are you okay?"

"Why are you still here?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You didn't answer my question. Are you sick?"

"Not exactly."

"Liv, you're talking in circles. I know you're upset with me, but I do care about you. I love you and if you're sick, I want to help you…"

"I'm pregnant!" Olivia shouted, "I'm pregnant, okay?"

Alex stood, dumbfounded. Did that mean she'd found someone to settle down with? This was exactly what she was worried about…

"Who's the father?"

Olivia ran the water in the faucet, taking water in her hands and splashing it over her face, "There is no father. There's just me."

"I'm confused…"

"Biological clock is ticking, I've always wanted a kid. I didn't have time to wait on…" _on you, Alex, I didn't have time to wait on you_, "on a relationship. So, I've been trying to get pregnant for a year and a half. I'm two months pregnant and the morning sickness is horrendous." Olivia laughed sardonically, "Sorry to ruin your romantic feelings for me…"

"Why would that ruin it?" Alex reached out and touched Olivia's clammy cheek, "Maybe you didn't hear me, but I love you. This is not some kind of lustful fling for me, it's about being in love with you and knowing it when I kissed you that night years ago. I've only felt this way once before and, even then, it was never this strong. I've been in love with you forever, Liv."

"You…you are something else…"

"I like to call it persistent."

"Sometimes I hate you, for making me feel…things…"

"Sometimes I hate me too, for feeling those same things." Alex placed a kiss on Olivia's cheek, "I have a meeting with Arthur Branch in 10 minutes, but…I was hoping you might want to go to lunch with me today?"

"Alex…"

"Of course, you don't want to….I'm such an idiot…"

"Alex, pick me up at the precinct at 12:30. I'll pick the place."

Alex smiled, "Okay. Um…I guess I'll see you later." Alex started to leave the bathroom but turned around before she reached the door. Alex noticed her glow, the slight swelling of her cute cheeks, the happiness that just seemed to surround the detective, even as she recovered from vomiting, and said softly, "Pregnancy looks really good on you, detective."

XXX

Olivia had been placed on modified duty since the day she told Cragen that she was pregnant. Like an excited grandfather, Don fawned over Olivia even more so than usual, often showing up at either the precinct or Olivia's apartment with a home cooked meal. He made sure she wasn't put in the line of fire, literally and figuratively, on a daily basis by putting her on desk duty and putting her in charge of interrogations (but only when Elliot was around) and interviews.

Olivia didn't like desk duty, but she couldn't complain about this. She pretended to hate having people fuss over her, but she really did like it. The guys babied her most days anyway, but they didn't coddle her like they were doing these days.

The moment she stepped inside the precinct, warrant in hand, her boys rushed her.

"Here, Liv, let me take that warrant to Cragen." Fin practically snatched it from her.

Munch came up behind Olivia and reached for her coat, "Let me take that for you, Olivia."

"Munch, it's…" before she could finish, her coat was now on the coat rack and Elliot was pulling out her chair, "fine."

Elliot took her by the hand and sat her in her seat, "How are you today? Feeling alright?"

Out of everyone, Elliot was the most attached to Olivia's pregnancy. He'd held her hand at the doctor as they found out this insemination had worked. He'd sat with her and flipped through donor lists and watched as she settled on 6'1" blonde haired, blue-eyed Harvard graduate. And he had the courtesy not to mention the striking resemblance of Olivia's donor to a certain former assistant district attorney.

XXX

Alex sat in front of Branch's office door, deep in thought. She'd been shocked to hear that Olivia was pregnant, even though she kept her composure. She was taught to be cool under pressure and she would never let Olivia see her falter, at least not about something like a baby. She wouldn't lie and say that she wasn't the slightest bit relieved to hear that Olivia was pregnant because she didn't want to wait any longer for a kid and not because she was in a long-term, committed relationship. That gave her hope.

Knowing that Olivia was pregnant didn't change anything for Alex. She was still attracted to her, still in love with her, maybe even more so now. When she thought about the child the brunette was carrying, she already knew that he or she would be beautiful. The baby wouldn't have a choice when Olivia looked the way she did. A warm, almost fuzzy, feeling ran over her at the thought of the baby. She imagined herself rubbing Olivia's feet when she was just to big to do so herself, holding her hand during the delivery, the baby's first birthday, graduation…

It could be just the three of them, Alex thought. They could be her family. That was all the blonde really wanted.

So deep in thought Alex was, that she didn't notice Arthur Branch calling her name. When she looked up, the tall, formidable man was looking back at her.

"Alexandra Cabot. Nice to see you back, but let's have this conversation in my office, shall we?"


	3. Chapter 3

Alex spent the rest of the morning fantasizing about Olivia. Unlike her past fantasies about the detective, which usually included a bed and the two of them wearing little to no clothing, the fantasies she had that morning were about the very essence of Olivia: what she looked like when she woke up in the morning without any make-up on, whether or not she 'talked' to her baby when she was alone, and what she liked to do to unwind (if she _ever _did anything to unwind). The most prominent thought, however, was Olivia's future baby. The more she thought about Olivia being an expectant mother, the fact that she was carrying a life inside her, the more beautiful she found Olivia and the more her fantasies changed and the ones she used to have about her, always vivid, so vivid, in fact, that Alex couldn't help screaming Olivia's name as she relieved her own tension, seemed only supplementary to the fantasy of waking up with a family of their own. With that in mind, Alex looked at her watch and realized it was time for her to meet Olivia.

As she was making her way to Olivia, Alex started to lose herself in a fantasy world yet again. Fantasies were what got her through her lonely years in witness protection because that was the only time Olivia could truly be hers, but it finally dawned on her that she might not need fantasies anymore. She was going to lunch with Olivia, which she hoped would lead to so much more. She hoped the next few months would be spent taking care of Olivia until it was time for Alex to join her in the delivery room and then she would spend the rest of her life with Olivia and their son or daughter. Would the baby be a Benson? A Cabot-Benson? Would Alex herself become a Benson or a Cabot-Benson? Oh, fuck. Would _Olivia_ become a Cabot? The idea of Alex and Olivia Cabot made Alex's heart beat that much faster. The answers to those questions were all dependent upon this lunch date and Alex was prepared to go above and beyond to prove that this wasn't some lustful fling. Alex's feelings for Olivia were genuine and she hoped Olivia would someday grow to love her at least _half _as much.

When Alex arrived at the precinct, Olivia was already standing outside.

"You haven't been waiting long, have you?" Alex asked, worrying already about how Olivia would feel about her and even more so about her well-being.

"No, not at all. I just walked out a minute ago. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Where to, detective?"

"I'm craving Italian."

Cravings, Alex thought with a smile. She briefly imagined late-night runs to the store for random food combinations because Olivia craved it, who would undoubtedly lie and say it was the _baby_ craving it and not herself.

Alex put her arm out and Olivia wrapped her own around it, "Then the lady gets Italian."

XXX

"Let me order for you." Alex suggested after they were seated. She looked up into Olivia's eyes and watched her nod her reply. Alex opened the menu and began scanning the list of delicacies, "Well, seafood is out of the question…."

"Alex…"

"The mercury is bad for the baby. Hmmm…nothing too fatty. Oooh, not that. Too much salt…"

"Alex, Jesus, I just told you I was pregnant, like 2 hours ago. And you're already worried about me? You're so bossy."

"While I have been known to be bossy, Olivia, it's really because I care about you that I'm doing this."

"I can take care of myself…"

"But you shouldn't have to." Their waiter came back to the table with a smile, "Two orders of Chicken Cacciatore, please. And water, side of lemon."

Olivia narrowed her gaze at Alex, "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to, Olivia."

The sparkle in Alex's eyes spoke to Olivia and pinned her in place. She might have pretended to hate this—all this attention. But she kind of, sort of, really liked it. And the way Alex smiled at her, that let her know that Alex knew it too.

The conversation was easy, like there hadn't been time in between them. But Alex really wanted to get to the heart of the matter.

"I love you." Alex said softly. "I'm in love with you. I have been for years. I just want a chance to be in your life."

"With the baby coming…" Olivia wondered if Alex could really handle being with her in this _condition_.

"As much as I love you, I will love that baby with all my heart because he or she will come from you."

"Alex…"

"I won't take no for answer, Benson." Alex smirked.

Same old Alex, Olivia thought, "Just don't break my heart, Alex. I couldn't take it."

Alex took Olivia's hand into her own, silently promising her that she wouldn't.

XXX

Stopping in front of the precinct, Alex knew that she had to let Olivia go for the rest of the work day. That didn't mean that she wanted to.

"Thanks for lunch, Alex."

"Thanks for letting me take you." Alex paused, "Will you call me later?"

"Of course." Olivia couldn't keep her eyes off of Alex's lips. She'd been looking at her all afternoon, but hadn't worked up the courage until now just to kiss her. She leaned in for what she'd hoped would be a peck, but, after slightly parting her lips, she was granted so much more.

For once, Alex was at a loss for words. "Bye," she said awkwardly for a lack of anything better to say to the woman she loved.

Knowing she was the reason why Alex was nearly speechless, Olivia started to smile. "Bye, Alex."

"Call me?" Alex asked one more time just to be certain. After that kiss, it was hard for her to remember whether or not Olivia had already agreed to do so.

"I already told you I would," Olivia reminded her.

"Right," Alex said, wishing she could somehow take back every awkward statement she had just made to Olivia. This wasn't like her; she was usually a confident and assertive woman, but there was something about Olivia that made her feel like a teenage girl falling in love for the first time. These feelings were so new to Alex, but she didn't mind because it was _Olivia _who was making her feel that way.

That afternoon, when Alex returned to her office, she kept her cell phone in plain sight just in case Olivia decided to call her even sooner.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex had dinner with her family regularly since she'd been back in the city. It took a while for them to adjust to the fact that they'd buried their daughter only to find out that she'd been alive the whole time. It wasn't something they talked about too often—it was always too painful. They'd forgiven her because they knew it took courage for her to do what she'd done. They understood that it was just as much for their safety as it was for hers.

Alex was the youngest of two. Her older brother, Josh, had a family of his own. He and his wife, Madeleine, had one daughter, Grace. Grace was 3, having been born the year before Alex went into WPP. Grace was a lot more like her aunt than anyone could have imagined. She was spunky, talkative, smart, and had very strong convictions already. Alex could see a lot of herself in Grace Cabot's small, chubby face.

One thing to know about Alex's family was that they'd always been accepting. No matter what their children did, they loved them beyond reason and unconditionally. So when Alex came out in her late teens, there had been no judgment. Alex's mother vowed not to treat any of Alex's girlfriends any different than she did Josh's and Alex's father vowed to treat them the same as he would if they were men—grill them about how special his little girl was.

It didn't take much of a drive to get to the Hamptons and to her parents' home. She saw Josh's car parked along the street and her parents' vehicles in the driveway. Alex wondered what it would be like to own a home like this. The yard was large enough for kids, maybe a pet. She imagined coming home to Olivia and their kid…

_God, I have to stop thinking like this. She isn't even my girlfriend yet._ Alex shook herself out of her train of thought to see the small little girl running towards her.

"Awex!" Grace flew into Alex's arms in one leap, giving Alex a five second window to catch her.

"Hey, Gracie. How'd you get out of the house so fast?"

"Mommy saw your car and I wanted to catch you before you go'd away again."

Alex was startled by how much Grace seemed to remember about Alex's stay in witness protection. At one point, Alex was hurt by it, knowing that her absence affected her niece so much so that the toddler was afraid she'd leave again. At the other end, she had been afraid that Grace would forget her because she was gone so long.

"Oh, darling, I'm not going anywhere. You know that, don't you?" Alex sat Grace on the ground and kneeled to eye level, "I'm always one phone call away, Grace."

"Pwomise?"

"Pinky promise." Alex held out a pinky and the little girl took it with her own.

Walking into the impressive home, Alex could already smell her mother's cooking. Unlike many of the people Alex grew up with, Alex's mother actually cooked, took care of her children, and still managed to hold a full-time position at a Fortune 500 company. Beth and Alexander Cabot were equally important to their family—financially, emotionally, and otherwise.

Alex let her nose carry her to the kitchen, where her mother and Madeleine stood over a stove trying to decide if there was enough salt in the mashed potatoes.

"Oh, Alex, thank God. Please, tell your mother this is perfect the way it is." Madeleine flipped her red hair, exasperated. Alex took the spoon from her mother and tasted the mashed potatoes and contemplated.

"Mom, I think she might be right this time. Normally, I'd be on your side. Not today though."

"Fine. I give up. Anyway, Alex, give me a hug. I feel like I haven't seen you in so long." Alex enveloped her mother in a tight hug.

"It's only been a week." Alex admonished her mother, "But I missed you too." She said, more softly this time, "Where's Dad?"

"In the den. He's vowing to work right up until dinner. Where did you think you got your attitude?"

Alex smirked. She'd been told all her life how much like her father she really was.

"So, are you going to help us cook, or just stand there?" Madeleine smiled at her sister-in-law. Luckily, Madeleine and Alex got along well. She'd known her since high school and thought she was a good match for her brother—mature, funny, and cute.

"Um…I think I'll just stand here. This is woman's work." Alex joked.

"I never took you for the 'barefoot-and-pregnant' type."

Alex sighed at just the mention of pregnancy, "Uh oh." Beth sat her spoon down and turned to her daughter, who was now leaning against the sink, "What's going on?"

"Do you remember Olivia?"

"How could I forget?" Beth smiled, "You couldn't stop talking about her after you started with SVU. 'Olivia this, Olivia that.'"

"'Oh, you should've seen Olivia today. She wrestled a suspect to the ground.'" Madeleine piped in.

"'Olivia's so good with the victims.'" Beth finished.

"Okay, enough." Alex blushed, "Was I that obvious?"

"Yes, you were." Beth smiled, "We all knew that 'Olivia's so good with victims' really meant, 'Olivia would be so good for me.'"

"She um…" Madeleine started, "She read your eulogy. At the funeral."

Alex looked shocked, "She did?"

Madeleine nodded, "It was beautiful. She…it was obvious you meant a lot to her."

"She's pregnant." Alex blurted. At the statement, Madeleine dropped a dishrag, glad she wasn't carrying something more important.

"She's seeing someone?"

"No. She went to a sperm bank, doing it on her own. We went to lunch earlier and it was nice. She's not really showing yet, but she's glowing and she looks so happy."

"And you want to be in her life?" Beth asked.

"More than anything."

"What's stopping you?"

"Nothing. I just…have you ever seen me as a mother? I mean, really?"

"You're so good with Grace, Alex. You'd make a great mom." Madeleine put a hand on Alex's shoulder, "And you'll do fine once you convince her you're here to stay."

"Did I hear someone's gonna be a mom?" Josh walked into the kitchen, snatching a dinner roll off of a baking pan, just like he'd been doing since he was tall enough to reach the counter, "It's not you, is it?" he pointed to his wife, "I love you, and kids, but Gracie's too young." He looked at his mother, "And I _know_ it's not you. So, it must be baby sister. You're pregnant?"

"Do I look pregnant, Josh?" Alex rolled her eyes, "Olivia's pregnant."

"Ooooh…." Josh wiggled his eyebrows, "She was cute. She's not with the father, is she?"

"No, she did it on her own."

Josh noticed the gleam in Alex's eye. It was a gleam he'd seen before—when Alex fell for a girl when she was in high school. But this gleam was different. Stronger, more vivid. Alex had a shot at real, true love and a real family. It was something he knew she'd always wanted.

"And you're going to be her baby daddy." He said, laughing at his own joke.

"Josh, stop…." Alex playfully punched his chest, "Seriously, I…want to be there for her. I want to be _with her_."

Josh smiled, "Duh." Josh shoved the dinner roll into his mouth and began talking again, this time with a mouth full of bread, "Soooo…what's stoppin' ya?"


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner with her parents was always good. Alex's mother was the best cook she knew and the conversations with her family were always lively. Grace, being the only child in this small part of the family, was always the light of the dinner—she was talkative and so sweet and always wanted to talk about her day, revolving around games of hopscotch that she won or the icky boy down the street.

After dinner, Alexander Cabot retired to his study, again, claiming he had so much work to do before tomorrow morning. Alex, knowing her father was much like herself, knew that he was perfecting things—not necessarily _finishing_ any work. After saying goodbye to her niece, brother, sister-in-law, and mother, Alex stopped by the study on her way out.

"Daddy?"

"Alex, come in. You're leaving for the evening?"

"Yes, but I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure. You know you could talk to me about anything." Alexander smiled at his daughter sincerely, looking up to her with bright blue eyes.

"If mom had a kid before you met, or she was pregnant when you met, would you still want to be with her?"

"Alexandra, I love your mother and fell in love with her not because of anything external to her, but because I loved her. So yes, I would still want to be with her."

"What about the baby? Would you feel responsibility for it?"

"Anything that would've come from your mother, I would've loved by the sheer fact that it was hers." He watched Alex nod her head in thought, "What's this about Alex?"

"Olivia is pregnant and I love her and I need her and the baby…." Every word came out, spilling over one another as the tears finally broke free of her eyelids, "And I don't know what to do and…" Alexander stood from his desk and wrapped his trembling daughter in his arms.

"Shh…Alex, if you love her, tell her. If you want her, show her. If you need her, make sure she becomes yours. You are the most convincing person I know when it comes to pleading a case. Plead your case with her."

XXX

Alex showered and dressed in a pair of sweats and a tank top before slipping under the blanket. She didn't think it could be considered normal how much she thought about Olivia today. During her meeting with Branch, she could barely concentrate; when she signed papers for the job offer as Bureau Chief, she almost wanted to sign Alexandra Cabot-Benson. She closed her eyes for just a moment before her cell phone started ringing. Olivia's name scrolled across the screen and Alex couldn't help from smiling.

"Hey, Liv. I was just thinking of you." Alex smiled lightly. She didn't want to freak her out by telling her that she had thought of her every single second today.

"You were? What about me?"

"Just how I was going to sweep you off your feet."

"So you're that good, huh?"

"You know I am. How are you and Baby Benson?"

"We're doing okay. I think it's a boy and he's giving mommy a sour stomach."

Alex grinned. Olivia with a son? The idea was cuter than Alex could even explain in words, "How do you know it's a boy?"

"Just a feeling." There was a long pause before Olivia spoke again, "I missed you Alex."

"I missed you too, Olivia. I thought of you every single day. I'd write my name and then yours on a piece of paper before going to bed at night so I could remember who I was. I was Alexandra Cabot, who was hopelessly in love with Olivia Benson. You are what kept me going through the days and months and years I was away."

"You just said you loved me."

"I _love_ you, sweetheart. I always have and I always will and will show you every day if you let me."

"What do you want from me?"

"I just want _you_."

"But the baby…"

"I'm not asking for much, Olivia. If you don't want me in your child's life in a parental capacity, I can respect that. If you want me to be your child's other mother, I would gladly take on that role for you. I would love nothing more than to have a family with you. But right now, all I can ask for is…for you to come over tomorrow night and let me make you dinner. Maybe we'll watch a movie, maybe we'll cuddle a little. I want to start over with you and do all the things I should have done years ago. If you still want me…."

"I do, Alex. I do."

Alex felt her heart skip a beat, "So I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Goodnight, Olivia. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Run your hand across your belly." Alex paused, "Are you doing it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm going to talk to baby for a second, okay? Little Benson, keep your mommy safe while she sleeps tonight. And I'll see you both tomorrow. Goodnight, Olivia."

"Wait! Alex…"

"Yeah?"

"You cook?" Alex could hear the grin on Olivia's face.

"Not a whole lot to do in Bumfuck, USA. I had to occupy myself with something, sweetheart. I'll show you everything I've learned tomorrow night. Goodnight. I love you."

"Goodnight." Olivia hung up the phone, but whispered, "I love you too" into the darkness of her bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Elliot Stabler was not a gentle man by no means, not even when it came to his wife. But when it came to his children, he was putty. When it came to Olivia, he was Jello. He didn't like to admit it, but Olivia had a piece of his heart that no one else did. It wasn't necessarily romantic, but it wasn't _un-_romantic either. He loved Kathy, no one would ever doubt that, but Olivia was…well, she was _Olivia_ and he liked having a special claim on her—there were no other men in her life (of course, unless her baby happened to be a boy, and he'd share that title with the little guy willingly). He knew that there would never be another guy as Olivia was firmly planted on the softer side of Sears. But that didn't keep him from thinking about what their life could've been—a mental detour from his ordinary life.

So, he didn't hesitate to watch Olivia across the desk. Pregnancy really did make Olivia beautiful, not that she needed the help. She hummed quietly to herself as she went through her paperwork, writing in the stylized loops and curves she always wrote in. He smiled at her and she noticed.

"What's up?" Olivia said with a smile.

"Nothin'."

"That smile looks like a whole lotta nothin'."

"You just….you're glowing. And you're starting to show."

"I don't look fat, do I?"

"Oh God, I shouldn't have said anything. You don't look fat. You look beautiful. You are beautiful."

Olivia had the good graces to blush, "Well, good, because I have a date tonight."

"Really? With who? Someone I know?"

"Yeah. With Alex."

Alex. Always Alex. It wasn't that Elliot didn't know that Olivia was into Alex—that was obvious when Alex first started. And Alex made it pretty obvious herself.

"Alex is back?" He wasn't exactly jealous…not _exactly_, anyway.

"Yeah, she has been for a month."

He wanted to tell her not to see Alex, that she didn't need the stress that woman would bring, but instead he smiled.

"So, we're still on for your doctor's appointment tomorrow?"

Olivia nodded enthusiastically.

XXX

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Olivia cooed into the phone.

"Not much." Alex smiled into her response, "You?"

"Changing out of my work clothes to see you…"

"Don't. Keep on what you're wearing and I will pick up everything I need for dinner, swing by your place and we'll eat there."

"Are you sure?"

"Very. I'll see you in an hour or so?"

"Ok. See you soon."

The 2 hours it took for Alex to go to the store and get to Olivia's gave the detective time to clean. She looked around the house and was satisfied with what little she'd done. The apartment looked lived in, but not completely destroyed, thankfully. When Alex finally appeared at her door, groceries in both arms, she stepped to the side to allow her in. Olivia was able to catch a whiff of Alex's shampoo as she walked past. Alex's smell was absolutely intoxicating.

"So, what are you making me tonight?"

"Linguine in a pesto sauce with lemon chicken. Sound good?"

"Sounds very good." Olivia watched as Alex found everything she needed in her kitchen, "You know, a girl could get used to this."

Alex took an opportunity to actually look at Olivia. She was wearing a sweater that did very little to conceal the still relatively small baby bump she was sporting and a pair of slacks.

"Would it be such a bad thing to say that I kind of want you to get used to it?"

"No, that's not bad at all."

Alex abandoned the pots and pans for just a moment to kiss Olivia, "Now, stop distracting me with your beauty so I can cook for you and Baby Benson." Alex placed her hand over Olivia's stomach with a smile.

XXX

After dinner, Alex and Olivia found themselves on the couch together with Olivia's head resting in Alex's lap, watching a movie. It didn't take long however for Alex to figure out that Olivia had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of the film. She looked down on the peaceful, sweet face of the brunette. She didn't want to wake her, but they both needed a good sleep and sleeping on a couch was not the best way to make that happen.

"Olivia, sweetie." She whispered softly, "Time to get up."

"Ugh, do I have to?"

"Yes, you do. Go shower while I clean the mess up. I'm not leaving here until I see to it that you're in bed."

"Yes, mom." Olivia shuffled into the bedroom while Alex went to the kitchen.

While under the spray of the shower, Olivia thought that, yes, she really could get used to this—to Alex being sweet to her this way, taking care of her this way. It was nice and it was only magnified by her attraction to the blonde and Alex's obvious attraction to her. Since she started showing a bit, Olivia hadn't exactly felt beautiful, but when Alex was around she did.

Alex was in a dream-state of her own. This thing with Olivia felt too right and she only hoped it wouldn't end any time soon. She couldn't think of a time that she'd wanted things to go well more than right now. There was one time, one woman in particular that she'd loved more than the world and she swore she'd never feel that way again. But she was here with Olivia and everything seemed even stronger.

She was taken away from her daydream by the feeling of someone's presence. Olivia stood there at the entrance of the kitchen dressed in a white t-shirt and boy shorts. If Alex hadn't already been finished cleaning up, she was sure she wouldn't be able to concentrate long enough to do anything else. The boy shorts accentuated Olivia's hips and thighs and the t-shirt didn't do a thing to hide her slightly hardened nipples. Alex felt that familiar clench in her stomach, the heat building between her thighs. Oh, she wanted her so much it almost scared her.

Olivia felt Alex's eyes all over and wanted to feel her hands all over her too. As Alex walked to her, with that predatory look in her eyes, Olivia had never felt so desired. Alex placed her hands softly on Olivia's hips and pulled her to her. She kissed her passionately, giving her a feeling Olivia could almost feel in her toes.

"I better go." Alex whispered as she broke the kiss, "Before I do something I regret."

"Would you really regret it?"

"I could never regret making love to you, Olivia. But I would regret making love to you not having proven to you that I'm worthy of your body and, more importantly, your heart. You may not realize it now, but everything I love and need is standing right in front of me. I want to make love to you, but only when I make you see that you are the only one I will be making love to for the rest of my life."

"Alex, you're going to make me cry."

"Oh, shit, I didn't want that, Liv."

"No, it's a good thing."

"Listen, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Oh, I have a doctor's appointment. Elliot's picking me up from here at 2."

If she could hide the jealousy in her eyes, she would've but it was almost impossible, "Does he always take you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh…"

"Alex, stop. It's…Jesus, it's not like I'm _with_ Elliot."

"I know, I know." Alex wanted to say that, of course, she knew there was nothing going on, but all the same, she felt possessive. Whether she admitted it or not, she was already beginning to think of Olivia as hers and the baby as theirs and the idea of Elliot playing Daddy to the baby made Alex more than uncomfortable—it made her angry.

"Next time, I want you to go with me."

"Really?" Olivia nodded, "I'd be honored, Olivia." She smiled and kissed Olivia's forehead, "Get some sleep, okay? Both of you." Alex placed a hand over Olivia's stomach and with a gentle caress, said goodnight to who she hoped would be her first child.


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia raised her eyes from her desk and her paperwork to see her partner smiling in her direction, as he'd been doing a lot of for the past few months-since she's been pregnant, if she really thought about it. Elliot is the one who was really there for her so far. Her other boys were too, but Elliot held her hand as she was inseminated and when she found out she was pregnant, he was sitting on her bed waiting for her while she was in the bathroom. At every doctor's appointment since the beginning, Elliot had been there.

Elliot, no matter how hard he tried not to, found Olivia's change to be beautiful. The once barely-there bump was now pretty obvious. It hadn't made her waddle yet, but the bump was very obvious now.

"You come up with names yet?" Elliot asked, "Kathy had names…damn, I think she had names from the time she was 14."

"I don't know yet. Something traditional, but a name that means something, you know."

"What about Odafin?" Fin said from beside her, "I mean, who has more personality than your favorite detective?"

"Fin, please. She's naming the baby John." Munch smiled.

"I don't even know if it's a boy or not."

"If it's a girl, you can name her Jane. Close enough."

Olivia rolled her eyes. Almost instantaneously, the click of high heels resounded through the precinct. The sound of Alexandra Cabot filled her ears. Alex appeared at the door of their bullpen, dressed in a gray skirt cut just above the knee, a white blouse and her jacket slung over her shoulder. Her eyes were trained on her in the most possessive way, yet lovingly all at once.

"Alex? When did you get back?" Fin asked.

"A while ago. I'm sorry I haven't been by sooner. I'm just here for Olivia right now." Alex smiled at Olivia, who was just now starting to get up, "Ready to go, babe?"

"Go where?" Elliot asked, standing up alongside Alex, perplexed as to why Alex was calling Olivia babe.

"Doctor's appointment."

"I could've taken you."

"You always take me. Just giving you a break." Olivia turned back to Alex, "I'm just going to go tell Cragen I'm leaving."

When Olivia left, Elliot kept his eyes on Alex. Just who the fuck did she think she was, showing up in their bullpen and taking _his_ Olivia to the doctor? No. Elliot Stabler would not stand for it.

Under his breath, Munch whispered, "Thank God she left. I thought they were about five seconds from trying to pee a circle around her."

Fin smiled in response and watched the action from across the room. He could see Elliot starting to fume. It was not unknown around the precinct that Olivia and Elliot were inseparable. Most thought that they'd been sleeping together, but those close to them, like Fin and Munch, knew that anything more than friendship was unrequited from Olivia's end.

"You know, just because you came back, it doesn't mean that you get to reign supreme here. You can't just walk in here like you own the place." Elliot growled.

"I never said I owned anything and let's not make this about the job when we all know it's about Olivia."

"You fuckin…" He snarled, but Alex wasn't going to back down.

"What? Bitch? That's no way to talk about your partner's girlfriend, now is it?" So maybe she wasn't sure if she was really Olivia's girlfriend, but so what? They hadn't talked about it, but they'd seen each other almost every night of the week and most nights, ended up making out feverishly on Alex's couch (much to Alex chagrin really because as much as she loved Olivia's lips, kissing only made her want more.)

As if on cue, Olivia walked over to Alex with a smile, "Ready?"

"If you are."

XXX

Olivia and Alex sat in the room they were assigned waiting for Olivia's doctor, Dr. Sobchack. As much as she wanted this, Alex felt slightly uncomfortable with all of this. She wondered what the doctor would think? Did she know that Olivia was a lesbian, that Alex was hoping for a place in Olivia and this child's life? How did she feel about that? As excited as Alex was to see Olivia's baby for the first time via monitor, she knew that at the moment she didn't have any claims over him or her and that broke her heart any time she thought about it.

When Dr. Sobchack entered the room, the sweet-faced, short woman smiled, "You must be Alex."

"Oh…um…yeah, that's me." Alex smiled and looked at Olivia, who looked away blushing.

"Olivia, how are you?"

"Good." Olivia smiled at her doctor.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

The doctor first did preliminary tests—blood pressure and all and found Olivia to be in good health. Dr. Sobchack then smeared the gel across Olivia's stomach. Alex had actually never seen Olivia's stomach uncovered and she couldn't fight the grin. _So cute_. The resounding sound of a heartbeat could be heard in the room.

"Is that the baby's heartbeat?" Alex asked, absolutely astounded. It was real. The baby was really there.

"Yes it is." The doctor looked up and smiled, "Now, Olivia, you're at 16 weeks now. You should start trying to sleep on your side. It'll be hard to break habit, but eventually you won't be able to sleep on your back. And there is your baby." The doctor pointed at the screen.

"Oh my God…" Olivia whispered, "Could you tell us the sex?"

"Mm hm. It looks like you have a baby boy."

Alex saw the tears spring from Olivia's eyes, "Can you print two copies?" Olivia asked. He was so little, but so present and so…he was perfect already.

"Sure." After printing two images for Olivia and Alex, the doctor turned back to them, "I'll leave you alone to get cleaned up."

"Wow…" Alex whispered as she looked at the picture, "He looks like a big bean." Alex chuckled.

"Alex?"

"Yeah, baby?" Alex never took her eyes off the picture in her hands.

"I'm hungry." A smile spread across Alex's face as she looked away from the picture.

"Chinese at my place?"

XXX

Alex watched Olivia move, the way she maneuvered around with her rounding belly. She found it remarkable, watching Olivia's body change and she'd never seen someone so beautiful.

"Tell me about your donor. Do you know him?" Alex asked as they sat on the couch beside one another after dinner. Alex placed her hand on Olivia's stomach with a smile on her face.

"No, but I chose him for his characteristics." Olivia took a deep breath, "I chose him with you in mind. I…I always thought if we'd been given the chance, we'd have a family. So, I picked a donor who sort of looked like you. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and a Harvard graduate."

Alex's tears had been on the brink of falling all night after seeing the baby, but hearing that Olivia had chosen the donor based on Alex—well, it was too much for the lawyer to handle. To afraid to say anything about it—to mess up this thing that was going so well by pushing Olivia too far, Alex looked away for a moment to collect herself.

"I hope that the baby turns out okay," Olivia continued, "because I've always worried about what I might be passing on. My mother was a drunk and my father was a rapist…"

"And you're you. You're this fantastic, no nonsense, super-heroine, compassionate woman whose son will be so lucky to have a mother like you." Alex placed a soft, chaste kiss on Olivia's lips, "And I hope he looks like you too."

Olivia smiled and rested her head on Alex's shoulder, "I'm sleepy, baby."

"Want to stay the night?"

"Please?"

"You don't even have to ask. Anything I have is yours." Alex looked at Olivia with such honesty that Olivia could barely stand it, but she couldn't bare to look away, either. "Come on, let's get you and Junior to bed." Alex stood up and took Olivia's hand.

"Junior?"

"I think he should be named Oliver. Like Olivia Jr."

"No, Alex. Just no."

Inside Alex's bedroom, Alex began rummaging through drawers to find clothes for Olivia and pulled out an oversize t-shirt. Behind her, Olivia quietly stripped her clothes off until she was left in her panties. When she was honest, this wasn't about changing. She wanted Alex to _see her_. To know that if Alex saw her, she'd like what she'd see.

When Alex turned around, her breath…it had been taken away from her. She dropped the shirt she was holding. Olivia….Alex didn't know what to say or do, but she knew how she felt when she saw Olivia, pregnant, naked, and beautiful and waiting for her to see.

"Olivia." Alex walked over to her slowly, "You are so beautiful." She placed a warm hand on her cheek, "If you don't want this right now, we don't have to do anything."

"Do you want me?"

"God, you have no idea how much."

"Kiss me."

Alex smirked and complied. Alex's lips, as tentative as they were, made Olivia's body tremble. It's been so long since she's been touched like this, so long since she's wanted to be touched like this. She couldn't speak for Alex, but there had been no one between her first kiss with Alex and now and, in this kiss, she knew it was worth the wait. As Alex kissed lower, on her jaw and then neck, she could feel her pulse rising.

Alex took in Olivia's scent, the light musky, almost slight spicy scent of her skin made Alex's synapses light. Kissing Olivia, her lips on her, was an experience as close to godliness, to religion as Alex thought she would get. Alex led Olivia over to the bed and lowered her to the softness of the blanket. Alex crawled over Olivia and hoisted herself onto her knees. She pulled her shirt over her head, anxious to feel skin against skin. Olivia reached up and tugged on the sweats Alex changed into when they got home. Holding herself up on her hands and leaving room for Olivia's new baby bump, Alex wiggled herself out of her pants and soon she was able to feel Olivia's warm skin against her own.

Alex looked down at Olivia's stomach and smiled. Yes, this was hers. _Her_ love and _her _child. Not Elliot's or anyone else's.

"I love you, Alex." Olivia whispered softly into her ears, "And I want you so badly."

Alex smiled against Olivia's lips before responding, "You have no idea…"

"No idea what, baby. Talk to me."

Alex pulled back to look at her. There were so many things that Olivia didn't know she felt, "You have no idea how long I have waited for you. You have no idea how I longed for you and how, now that you're here, I have no intentions on ever letting you leave my side. You have no idea the lengths to which I will go in order to keep you happy and safe."

Olivia smiled through tears, but the words not only moved Olivia emotionally, they moved her sexually as her hips pressed insistently against Alex's.

"Please, Alex…"

"Tell me what you need and I'll give it to you…"

Olivia purred. _Olivia Benson fucking purred_, "Take me, Alex."

If she'd been standing, Alex knew she would have fallen over—her knees went weak. The woman she loved so much wanted her so badly and she would be foolish not to give her what she wanted. She ran her hand down Olivia's body, to the patch of curly hair already saturated with desire. Her fingers parted her lips and moved slowly inside. She was so tight. So hot and warm. She gasped at the wetness there.

So completely enthralled in making love to Olivia, she hadn't noticed that Olivia's thigh was between hers. But when she made contact, she couldn't avoid the movement of her hips against the muscled thigh.

Alex stroked Olivia faster, moving her own hips and grinding herself against Olivia. She knew she would cum soon, but she needed Olivia to peak with her, if not before. She felt Olivia's nails in her lower back, felt the muscles of her sex clenching against her fingers—she was tumbling over the edge.

Olivia called her name and her body arched into her. Alex followed shortly after.

Alex moved away and Olivia immediately missed her presence. Alex wasn't gone long, though, as she pulled Olivia's body to her and the pair drifted into a restful sleep.

XXX

When Alex woke up the next morning, Olivia was already gone. Left on her pillow was a note.

_Went to work. Didn't have the heart to wake you. Maybe dinner tonight? Love you, Olivia._

_PS. You have something waiting for you in the kitchen._

Alex grinned as she shuffled out of bed and into the kitchen. There was freshly brewed coffee and muffins from her favorite bakery. There was also a small square picture that she recognized as the ultrasound from the day before taped to a card.

_Good morning, Mommy! From Olivia Benson and "Junior" Cabot_….


	8. Chapter 8

"_Junior" Cabot_. Alex reread those words at least a dozen times just to be certain they weren't a figment of her imagination. _This is real_, she had to tell herself. _The baby is mine. Olivia is mine. I'm going to have a family—Olivia and I are going to have a family_. Alex was trying not to overanalyze what was written on the card, but new questions came to mind each time she read it. She looked at the name "Olivia Benson" and started to wonder if Olivia was going to keep Benson as her name or change her name to Cabot once the baby was born. Alex would have been happy either way, but she couldn't help preferring the name Olivia Cabot.

Alex sat down with the coffee and muffins Olivia brought right in front of her. She picked at one of the blueberries in the muffin and daintily lifted it to her mouth. Alex wasn't the least bit hungry although she hadn't eaten yet. She knew she should at least _try_ to eat something, but all she could focus on was the baby and what she had experienced with Olivia. If she closed her eyes, she could swear she still felt the skin-to-skin contact with Olivia and the supple warmth of the body she loved—the body carrying _her_ son. Alex slightly licked her lips and tasted a combination of Olivia's lips and the blueberry she had just eaten. She could also smell Olivia's scent on her skin. Hours had passed since she had made love to Olivia and, as faint as the scent had become, it still served as proof that last night actually happened. She had not only made love to Olivia, but she had seen her at her most vulnerable. Olivia had risked so much by baring herself to Alex, although Alex couldn't fathom rejecting Olivia. Not in a million years would she have said no to the brunette. For the first time, their roles were reversed. Olivia was used to being the protector, but now that role had been relinquished to Alex, whether or not Olivia realized it. They were a family-to-be and Alex would do anything she could to make sure both of her loves were safe at all times.

As she finally began to nibble on her muffin, Alex realized the best way to ensure the safety of her family-to-be was to have Olivia in her arms every night. Asking Olivia to bring her belongings over every night would have been too much of a hassle for the pregnant detective, so Alex came to the conclusion that she was going to ask Olivia to live with her. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. Neither of them had ever had a live-in girlfriend before, but with a baby on the way, living together couldn't be entirely out of the question.

It wasn't like Alex to become lost in a fantasy world, but without realizing it, her mind became consumed with thoughts of their future son. With months left until Olivia's due date, Alex was already thinking about what their son was going to be like. Will he look like Olivia? Will he be smart? Will he be athletic? What will his favorite subject be in school? What about his favorite book and favorite movie? Will he be popular or will he have a select group of friends? Will he get in trouble in school or will he make the honor roll? What about college? Will he go to an Ivy League school? Will he follow in her footsteps or Olivia's or would he rebel against the two of them? _Our future son has only been in Olivia's womb for sixteen weeks and I'm already thinking about his career path. _She forced herself to think about something else—anything else—but her thoughts remained with their baby. _A nursery. He's going to need a nursery. And toys. He'll have so many toys that Olivia and I can use to interact with him. Maybe we should hold off on a nursery and keep his crib in our bedroom until he's older. But Olivia will need a place to nurse him. She can do that in our room. _The thought of watching Olivia nurse their baby was almost overwhelming for Alex. _Our baby is going to be getting his nourishment from her body—the body of the woman I love. _Alex felt the tears start to pool in her eyes. _Get it together, Alex. This isn't like you._ _What if this is all in your head? What if Olivia is just trying to be cute by saying the baby's last name will be Cabot. There's only one way to find out…_

Alex felt bad for bothering Olivia at work, but the constant thinking was going to drive her crazy, so she grabbed her cell phone from on top of her nightstand and called Olivia.

"Alex?"

"Liv?"

"Is everything okay?" Olivia asked worriedly.

_I should have just sent her a text message or talked to her about this in person, not calling her cell phone while she's at work._

"I was just thinking about the baby."

"What about the baby?"

Alex took a deep breath and prepared herself for the question she was about to ask Olivia, but the words wouldn't come out. Alex Cabot froze. She _actually _froze. Judging by her inability to get the words out, she was grateful that this conversation wasn't happening in person.

"Alex?" Olivia asked, wondering if her phone was losing its signal.

"I'm here, babe," Alex said nervously. "Junior is mine?" The question had come out completely wrong and Alex was grateful that Olivia couldn't see her gently smack her hand to her forehead.

Her nervousness was put at ease when she sensed Olivia was smiling. Olivia didn't even have to use any words for Alex to know she was smiling at her over the phone. "Alex, what's this about?"

"The card you wrote me said Olivia Benson and Junior Cabot," Alex pointed out. "Were you just trying to be cute when you when wrote that? I noticed you didn't change your last name."

"Junior is yours, Alex," Olivia insisted. "He told me."

Now she was really being playful with her, but Alex couldn't help finding comfort in her words. "Junior told you?"

"I talk to him all the time, Alex. He knows so much about you already. He knows how smart his mommy is and how brave she is. He knows how much his mommy loves him." Olivia began whispering into her phone, so nobody else could eavesdrop on what she wanted to be a private conversation. "He told me he loves you just as much as I do. He also told me he doesn't like the name Junior."

"I'll see you tonight," Alex responded, finally feeling at ease. "You _and _Junior."

Before Olivia could argue with her about the baby's nickname, Alex hung up the phone and started to think about dinner. She had an important night with Olivia ahead of her and she wanted to everything to be perfect.

Alex had put off asking the question until the end of the night. During dinner, the two of them talked about Olivia's day and the baby. After dinner, they watched a movie. It wasn't a particularly good movie or even an interesting movie, but it still served as a distraction, which is all Alex wanted at the moment. Olivia kept drifting off to sleep during the movie and all Alex could do was think about how she was going to ask her to move in and how Olivia would respond to such a question.

Olivia woke up to Alex placing delicate kisses on her baby bump. Never did she imagine being shown such affections from the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. This was a side of Alex only Olivia was familiar with. Most people knew her as the Ice Queen, but Olivia knew that nickname didn't fit the woman she was cuddling with at that moment. The Alex Cabot she knew was so loving and affectionate and what made Olivia smile in that moment was realizing Alex's love and affection was only for her—or, her and their baby. Alex was going to be a great mother and Olivia couldn't imagine raising a child with anyone else.

"Liv?" Alex asked once she took her lips off of Olivia's baby bump.

"Yes, my love?"

"I know it goes without saying, but taking care of you and Junior makes me feel so at peace," Alex began. "It's when you two are away from me that I start to worry. Will you do me a favor and move in with me?"

"Alex," Olivia said softly. She got up to sit next to the woman she loved. She was still able to move, but she was starting to feel a bit more of a struggle.

"Let me keep the two of you safe," Alex pleaded. "You've given me all I've ever wanted, Olivia. Let me give you something in return."

Alex expected a yes or no answer from Olivia, or any type of verbal response, but instead she felt her woman's soft lips against hers. _I'm going to have my family with me every night._


End file.
